Adams Family Correspondence, volume 14
ca. 18 October1800
It is a great Grief to me my dear sister that I can do so
little for you in your trouble when I owe So Much to you. beside being much
of an invalide myself Jackson is very sick keeps his Bed—and a 424 thousand cares devolve upon me in
concequence of the sudden determination very reluctantly enterd into from a sense at this late period,
without any previous arrangment— but all this is small in comparison to
leaving Mrs Norten and you Sick— Becky will watch with You to night— I send
some Wine for mrs Norten, and pray you to send me your demijohn
Mrs smith and Betsy Howard are gone to Town to day
I have to prepare ten of us to go away—a new coach man to seek— I did not design You should have had any intelligence about it, but mrs Smith says she told You a saturday. pray let me aid You with any thing I have that you want—2
RC (MWA:Abigail Adams Letters).
The dating of this letter is based on AA’s description of James Jackson’s condition in her letter to JA of 18 Oct., above.
AA wrote again to Cranch [ante 27 Oct.] (MWA:Abigail Adams Letters), expressing
concern about Cranch’s health and informing her that she had sent apples
and pears and would send flour as well. AA also inquired
about Cranch’s condition in a series of letters to Lucy Cranch
Greenleaf, writing twice [ante 22 Oct.],
once [ante 26 Oct.], and three times [ante 27 Oct.]. She also told Greenleaf that
she would send supplies to the family and offered to assist with the
care of Lucy Greenleaf and John Greenleaf Jr. (all MWA:Abigail Adams
Letters).